Incorporating Mindfulness Based Strategies in CarePRO‐Virtual Spanish (CarePRO‐VS): A Multicomponent Intervention for the Latino Community

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundA recent report estimates Latinos in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) could reach as high as 3.5 million by 2060 and are 1.5 times more likely to develop AD than non‐Latino Whites. Consequently, Latino caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s Disease or other related dementias (ADRD) face significant risks to their physical and mental well‐being. Due to the immense increase of ADRD in Latinos, it is important for research to highlight the ways in which caregivers can learn mindfulness based skills to support challenges they may face.MethodU.S. Latina caregivers of people with ADRD (n = 18) were analyzed from the CarePRO‐VS program. CarePRO‐VS is a multicomponent skill‐focused intervention conducted in Spanish that manages stress, tension and frustration associated with caregiving. This pilot project was conducted over ten weeks via telephone and Zoom including: (1) screening to determine eligibility, (2) pre‐ and post‐ intervention assessments conducted within approximately two weeks of the intervention, (3) individual “coach calls” and (4) the five‐week CarePRO‐VS program.ResultBy week five, 60% of caregivers used mindful breathing 3 or more times a day. In comparison to week one, only 18.8% of caregivers used mindful breathing 3 or more times a day. As an example of a frequent user, coach call notes showed that one participant in particular self‐reported use of the relaxing techniques every week with an average of 3‐4 times a day. Mindful breathing helped her destress, stay positive, and focus on the present moment. Body scans helped her bring awareness to how she felt during stressful situations involving her father, the care recipient. She also extended the use of mindful breathing to situations beyond caregiving. At five weeks, she used mindful breathing with her father to ease his anxiety.ConclusionThese Latina caregivers implemented a new strategy that shows promising results and future research can expand on aspects of mindfulness as an equitable and accessible strategy to increase relaxation for caregivers and care recipients. To date, there are few published studies incorporating mindfulness techniques that also included Latino caregivers of people with ADRD in the U.S.